17:35, 2 May 2023
YEREVAN, 2 MAY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 2 May, USD exchange rate up by 0.21 drams to 386.85 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.78 drams to 423.91 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 4.85 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.65 drams to 482.48 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price down by 25.15 drams to 24658.00 drams. Silver price down by 4.55 drams to 308.02 drams.
21:40, 2 May 2023
YEREVAN, MAY 2, ARMENPRESS. The Regional Council of Hauts-de-France supports the full realization of the rights of the people of Artsakh and, in particular, the right to self-determination, ARMENPRESS reports Xavier Bertrand, President of the regional council of Hauts-de-France, and Sergey Ghazaryan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh, signed a joint statement at the Artsakh Representative Office in Yerevan.
Officials who have arrived from France are calling on the international community to impose sanctions on the Azerbaijani regime as long as Baku refuses to comply with the decision of the UN International Court of Justice to ensure the two-way movement of people and goods through the Lachin Corridor.
During the meeting, Xavier Bertrand emphasized that the aggression and other actions unleashed by Azerbaijan are unacceptable and must be stopped.
"No one has the right to set up a checkpoint, block a corridor, prevent hundreds of people from receiving treatment, deprive children of the opportunity to get education, block the supply of gas and electricity. No one has given Azerbaijan such a right. I have to speak about this after returning to France," he said.
According to the joint statement, the regime of Azerbaijan, both with the way of oppressing its own citizens and with its military ambitions towards Armenia and Artsakh, can only lead to war, destruction, misery and despair.
Western Primate Arch. Hovnan Derderian bestows the "St. Nerses Shnorhali" medal to Sen. Anthony Portantino
BURBANK—Senator Anthony J. Portantino was presented with a Pontifical Encyclical from His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians and was honored with the prestigious St. Nerses Shnorhali Medal in recognition of his years of support of the Armenian American community. The Senator received the honor on April 27th during a reception held at the headquarters of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church in Burbank.
Western Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian bestowed the medal, with public officials, friends, and representatives of Armenian organizations in attendance. Senator Portantino is the first non-Armenian in the Western Diocese to receive St. Nerses Shnorhali Medal.
“I am humbled to receive this special honor and grateful to have the privilege and opportunity to be part of the spiritual center of the Armenian community,” stated Senator Portantino. “I have always been proud to represent this vibrant constituency in our state’s capitol and I cherish the deep connection I have with my Armenian neighbors and friends.”
Sen. Portantino and his wife, Ellen, with Arch. Derderian, Diocese clergy and officials
“State Senator Anthony Portantino has been a close friend of the Armenian community whose support and dedication has been immensely appreciated by the members of the Armenian community of North America,” stated Archbishop Derderian.
“Additionally, being an advocate of the Armenian cause, he has earned the respect and love of our brothers and sisters in Armenia and Artsakh. I personally have witnessed his genuine respect for our faith, history, and culture, which should be regarded as a gift to our community. Since my arrival to the West Coast, I have witnessed his active engagement on many levels to bring to the Angelenos his steadfast services and utmost regard for all people. The one and perhaps the most important characteristic which should be underlined is his humility which has inspired us all. What has also empowered us tremendously is his dedication to his family, which I certainly believe is the greatest gift he shares with us all,” added Arch. Derederian.
Armenian community leaders were on hand when Sen. Portantino was honored
Senator Portantino has been a steadfast supporter of the Armenian American community and the Armenian cause for decades. He has visited Armenia and Artsakh on a number of occasions. In 2021, Senator Portantino became the first state or federal official to visit Artsakh after the 44-day war. The Senator has also authored countless legislation and resolutions recognizing the Armenian Genocide and has been a strong proponent of including the Armenian Genocide as part of the state’s curriculum.
Senator Portantino continues to chair the Senate Select Committee on California, Armenia, and Artsakh Mutual Trade, Art, and Cultural Exchange, which was first established in 2017 at the request of Senator Portantino to expand business opportunities through trade, economic development, cultural awareness, and education between California, Armenia, and Artsakh. In 2019, he helped negotiate the historic Memorandum of Understanding between California and Armenia, which established the California Armenian Trade & Services Desk in Yerevan. Senator Portantino has also been instrumental in securing state financial support for the Armenian American Museum in Glendale.
The move comes as Turkey and Armenia, which have no diplomatic relations, had been engaged in talks to normalize ties and put decades of acrimony behind. They appointed special envoys who have held several rounds of talks. Their discussions had resulted in an agreement to resume charter flights between Istanbul and Yerevan.
The two countries have a more than century-old bitter relationship over the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in massacres, deportations and forced marches that began in 1915 in Ottoman Turkey.
Historians widely view the event as genocide. Turkey vehemently rejects the label, conceding that many died in that era but insisting that the death toll is inflated and the deaths resulted from civil unrest.
Cavusoglu said the monument aimed “to glorify” Armenians involved in plans to assassinate Ottoman and Azerbaijani officials in the 1920s and Turkish diplomats in the 1970s and 1980s.
“It is not possible for us to accept this. We can clearly see that their intentions are not good,” Cavusoglu said.
The monument is dedicated to members of “Operation Nemesis” — the codename for a covert operation to avenge the killing and deportation of Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces, with seven assassinations carried out by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation between 1920 and 1922.
Operation Nemesis represented “a record of the fact that throughout history, crimes do not go unpunished regardless of how the international community treats it,” Yerevan Deputy Mayor Tigran Avinyan told state news agency Armenpress on the April 25 unveiling of the monument, on which the names of 16 Operation Nemesis members are engraved.
Armenia’s central aviation committee claimed that it didn’t receive official notification from the Turkish side about the airspace closure.
Turkey shut down its border with Armenia in 1993, in a show of solidarity with its close ally Azerbaijan, which was locked in a conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
In 2020, Turkey strongly backed Azerbaijan in the six-week conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, which ended with a Russia-brokered peace deal that saw Azerbaijan gain control of a significant part of the region.
Meanwhile, Armenian parliamentary president Alen Simonyan arrived in Ankara on Wednesday to attend the 30th anniversary of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. According to Simonyan’s press secretary, the parliamentary president is set to also meet with the president of the Turkish parliament.
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Elise Morton contributed to this report from London.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/03/turkey-armenia-monument-airspace-closed/961a7cea-e9af-11ed-869e-986dd5713bc8_story.html
We have signed three agreements with the Russian Federation, which specify that the Russian armed forces must intervene in the event of an attack on Armenia. But Russia has done nothing to keep its promises, says Wahagan Khachaturian.
TVP WEEKLY: We were supposed to talk about the economy and business, but after I landed in Armenia, it turned out that seven soldiers had just died on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. And during the opening gala of the European Weightlifting Championships in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, the flag of Azerbaijan was burned. The war has been going on for 30 years and does not allow either of the two sides to develop. What role, as the president, should you play in this situation?
WAHAGN KHACHATURIAN: You have to be aware that we are a country with a parliamentary system, and the role of a president is more about representing the country than managing it. However, the president has an important task within the constitution: monitoring it, mediating, and supporting valuable ideas. And it is particularly important – in the era of fierce political battle – to balance the power.
It may seem that it is not so important, but during my one-year presidency, I have already realised that it is one of my key responsibilities. In the age of war with Azerbaijan, looking for allies for Armenia worldwide is essential. The role of presidential diplomacy in the international arena cannot be underestimated.
According to what I've been told, you live in Suwałki – several dozen kilometres away from the Lithuanian border. And just after our meeting, I am flying to Vilnius to sign a memorandum of cooperation in the field of technology and innovation.
I want to expose our country to the European Union and show it at its best; That we are implementing democratic reforms; That we are strongly committed to cooperation with the West; That Armenia today is a completely different country than it used to be in the 1990s.
What I mostly focus on today is supporting the elementary values: human rights, freedom of speech and the rule of law. And that the president is the guarantor of these values and their implementation.
The president must also be the guarantor of public trust in state institutions. Equally for all – citizens living in Armenia and our diaspora, as well as the people coming to our country.
Our diaspora, which I mentioned, is three times more numerous than its inhabitants living in Armenia today. So I must be a leader who inspires the confidence of all Armenians. Our emigrants invested over 5 billion dollars in our country only last year.
The Armenian diaspora is strongly connected to its homeland. Only in 1991-2001, every third of its citizens left Armenia. It is a phenomenon on a global scale. How does it affect the economy and development of the country? And most importantly, how do you encourage these people to come back when you're still at war?
If we were to realistically assess the scale of emigration you are asking about, it would be even higher. The collapse of the USSR and the 1990s were – as in Poland – an extremely difficult time for our emerging statehood. The total transformation of the economy has resulted in massive unemployment. In addition, there was a massive energy crisis, for which we were also unprepared. This caused a domino effect in the entire business sector.
If we enclose the real and tragic war to all of this, I am not surprised that hundreds of thousands of citizens want to change their destiny to live in peace and on a higher level. The Armenian diaspora today is gigantic. There are more Armenians in Russia alone than in Armenia. The Armenian community in the United States is also powerful.
But in this respect, our countries have a similar history. Do you remember the political changes in Poland? After the borders were opened, millions of Poles sought better life opportunities abroad to provide means of subsistence for their families. And very often, Poles and Armenians met on this emigration route. Besides, many of my compatriots came to Poland looking for a job.
Fortunately, this trend has reversed in recent years. We've learned an important lesson. Today, international investments are changing the face of our economy. I will not hide that the success of people who went abroad at that time also had a powerful influence on it. Because today they come back with their money and invest in their homeland. The patriotism of Armenians living abroad is a huge driving force in our country.
What exactly could Armenia offer to the European Union, Poland, or even entrepreneurs from Poland in terms of business? You are in a state of a permanent dispute with Azerbaijan. And this country is an attractive partner for Europe; it offers us oil and gas, thus independence from Russia. And mediation in the supply of raw materials from Kazakhstan.
You have a very straightforward and concrete approach to business.
Because international relations are based on the game of business and economic interests. If you want to reach the European elites, the world of EU finance – influential people – then you have to talk to them in the language of benefits. Ideas and lofty values disappear when real cash becomes visible. Why has the world failed to help the North Koreans for decades? Because there are no valuable deposits there. Who cares that Poland was morally right during World War II if we ended up with ruined Warsaw, and the Germans, who were the aggressors, with the Marshall Plan?
Armenia has learned this lesson as well. We are aware of our strengths and weaknesses. We know what we can offer to other partners. We will not extract oil and deliver it to Orlen because we do not have it. We focused on what we can win and what we can deliver to modern economies. Since this could not be the mineral deposits, let it be the assets of knowledge and human potential.
Today, we are already a powerful basin of the IT sector throughout Asia. We are much better, more professional and higher-educated than our competitors. And at the same time still relatively cheaper when compared to Western economies. Our IT specialists are highly valued all over the world. We also have companies that have achieved global success. Besides, Polish agencies and headhunting companies are eager to penetrate our market.
Our other advantage is the developed industry and agricultural processing. Our cuisine is one of the best in the world. Delivering high-quality food from Armenia to the West can be a real goldmine for our and your entrepreneurs.
The premium brand spirits and the tobacco industry production sectors have also developed strongly in Poland. I must admit that we focus firmly on developing our financial sector. And it's also no secret that our economy benefits from Russia's problems.
The size and scale of the market may be a problem – Armenia has only 3 million inhabitants. It's like Warsaw with its suburban area.
Let us remember the 10 million Armenians living abroad. As I said before, these people are extremely emotionally attached to our country. It is, in practice, another "outlet market", as you would probably put it in your business jargon. But they are also our best ambassadors. If you come to California, you will find Armenian products and Armenian flavours everywhere. These people are incredibly committed to promoting all that comes from their homeland and promoting companies which cooperate with us. By entering the Armenian market, you are practically entering the global diaspora market.
Let's also not forget that in the Soviet Union, it was Armenia that produced goods of the highest possible quality at that time. After all, the entire industry of the Soviet bloc was based on our electronics, machines and know-how, as we would put it today.
Although, and I will say it once again, I am most proud of our human resources and the Armenian intellectual potential – these are our best high-end export products.
Recently, these minds have had some serious competition. Armenia, along with Georgia, has become the main destination for the migration of Russian programmers and IT specialists who try to escape the army recruitment.
I'll tell you more. Many experts from the IT sector flew to us from Ukraine and found shelter here. We are open to people who want to find their second home with us and, at the same time, bring to this home something valuable.
Read the full story.
By Karol Wasilewski
Translated by: Katarzyna Chocian
Armed conflicts and military actions can have devastating impact on objects of cultural heritage, which are of irreplaceable value to the entire mankind as unique expressions of history, identity and cultural memory, Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Mher Margaryan said the UN Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting “Protection of Cultural Heritage in Armed Conflict.”
As such, their integrity and preservation must be upheld at all times., he stressed.
“In our region, we have first-hand experience going through the devastating loss of cultural property. The Armenian heritage was under heavy attack during the war in Nagorno-Karabakh launched by Azerbaijan in 2020. The Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral of Shushi, for example, was deliberately shelled, twice within a few hours, resulting in the partial destruction of the Church,” the Ambassador noted.
“Today, the millennia-old Christian Armenian sites in Nagorno-Karabakh are on the verge of total extermination, targeted to promote the distorted narrative that the Armenian people are alien in the region. Armenia’s deep concern in relation to the fate of the cultural property in Nagorno-Karabakh is also based on the previous history of total and intentional eradication of the Armenian heritage by Azerbaijan. In Nakhijevan, for example, thousands of monuments, including 89 medieval churches and more than 5,000 cross-stones were annihilated, in an effort to remove traces of the Armenian civilizational presence,” he added.
He emphasized that Azerbaijan is yet to commit, in good faith, to the implementation of the Order on Provisional Measures issued by the International Court of Justice at the request of Armenia in December 2021, according to which Azerbaijan shall “take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage, including but not limited to churches and other places of worship, monuments, landmarks, cemeteries and artefacts”.
“Armenia has consistently requested that a UNESCO fact-finding mission be deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent areas in order to help preserve the vast and unique cultural heritage of the region, yet, Azerbaijan continues to obstruct efforts of the international organizations for independent and impartial assessment of the facts on the ground, having opted, instead, for the policy of systematic erasure of the Armenian traces, putting into practice a pseudoscientific theory that denies the historical sites of their Armenian origin. Only today, the chairman of what is called the State Committee for Work with religious Organizations of Azerbaijan went on record saying that the Medieval Armenian Dadivank monastery “belongs to Caucasian Albania” and “sooner or later it will be controlled by the Albanian-Udi religious community”,” Mher Margayn said.
“Destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage continues to be extensively monitored and reported, including through the use of modern technologies. I would like to recall, in this regard, that on 28 April, last Friday, Armenia hosted a panel discussion at the UN, which looked into the role of new technologies in preventing genocidal acts, such as cultural heritage destruction. The event featured a research project at the Cornell University entitled “Caucasus Heritage Watch”, which relies on digital satellite technologies to monitor and document cultural heritage in the region, revealing large-scale damage and destruction in the territories under Azerbaijan’s control,” he added.
The Permanent Representative encouraged UNESCO to also utilize digital technologies to identify, monitor and act upon the facts of destruction of cultural heritage in any part of the world, and in our region in particular.
LOS ANGELES - Music can help bring people together, no matter what language.
The musical group Ladaniva was founded in 2019 by Armenian singer Jacqueline Baghdasaryan and French multi-instrumentalist Louis Thomas. The group’s music is inspired by traditional songs from Armenia, Russia and the Balkans—with influence from travels in Latin America, Africa and Reunion Islands.
Last month they were here in Los Angeles for a sold-out performance.
I had a chance to meet the group as they were getting ready for rehearsal before one of their shows at Arbat Hall.
Jacqueline Baghdasaryan and Louis Thomas met at a bar one night during a jazz jam session.
"Louie was playing trumpet, and I was singing. And after we started to do the jazz together, and also we did our study in our conservatory together. And after one day, Louis heard that I am singing in Armenia. And he said, ‘let's do something with this,’ because he loved Armenian language and music," Baghdasaryan said.
No matter where they’re performing or what language they’re singing in— their energy is contagious.
"There's something melancholic, you know. Melancholy is something beautiful in sadness," Thomas said.
Baghdasaryan said Thomas encouraged her to write a song in Armenian.
She wrote their first song "Vay Aman" and immediately following the release of their music video the song was a hit in Armenia and went viral with millions of views.
As far as the name Ladaniva…it’s a Russian car.
"Jacqueline's father and my father, when we were kids, both had this car."
Most of their songs are in Armenian, but they also have songs in Russian and French.
Jacqueline says her inspiration for songs comes from everyday life—like their most recent song "Shakar" which means "sugar" in Armenian.
Jacqueline’s connection to Armenia has remained strong over the years.
"I was born in Armenia and I grew up in Belorussia. And after I came to France already eight years. I was always in the Armenian community. I did Armenian dance, singing Armenian songs and for me it was my nostalgia to my roots, and I always wanted to sing in Armenian, to dance it, to participate in our culture," she added.
Louis was born and raised in France. For him, music is in his DNA; he began playing the trumpet at the age of 7.
"I was born in a musician family. My mother played the classical piano. And since I was a child, I used to play a lot of different instruments," he stated.
His love for music and adventure have had a big influence in his work and life.
"I used to travel a lot to learn the traditional music from everywhere."
Their music comes from everywhere… connecting people and different cultures.
"A lot of different vibes — we have joyful vibes, but also we have a nostalgic and melancholic vibe. Our music is like a mix of different cultures… a music of travel and also the humanity," she explained.
12:48, 3 May 2023
YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS. Turkey has closed its airspace to Armenian flights heading to a third destination in response to the unveiling of the Nemesis monument in Yerevan last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.
Cavusoglu said Turkey would take further steps if the monument is not removed.
The direct flights from Armenia to Turkey are unaffected by the move.
However, Cavusoglu said that "VIP flights" will not be allowed. He said they made an exception for Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan, who is visiting Turkey for the PABSEC meeting, Anadolu reported.
Nemesis was unveiled in Yerevan on April 25 to honor the participants of Operation Nemesis, a 1920s program of assassinations of Ottoman perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide.
PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has claimed that Armenia must confirm it has no territorial claims against Baku by declaring that “Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan”, Interfax.az reports.
Aliyev made the remarks at the fourth international conference on "Shaping the Geopolitics of Greater Eurasia: from past to present and future" in the Nagorno Karabakh town of Shushi on Wednesday, May 4.
Aliyev said Armenia signed the Prague Declaration in October 2022 and he Sochi Declaration that same month, expressing “consent on the adoption of the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991 as the basis for the normalization of relations”.
“They should say what I said, namely, Karabakh is Azerbaijan, I am waiting for it. I hope that time will come,” he said.
“And it is important that Armenia itself is now more open than some of Armenia's friends in the West, talking about its actual recognition (of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity).”